1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal such as a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) phone, a game phone, a chatting phone, a camera phone, an MP3 phone, a cellular phone, a Personal Communications Service (PCS), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a Hand Held Phone (HHP), and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a spring adapted for a sliding-type portable terminal and a semi-automatic sliding device using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable communication terminals include electronic devices that a user can carry on their person and use for wireless communication with another user. There are many types of wireless communication functions a portable communication terminal can perform. For example, a portable terminal can perform a voice communication function, a messaging function, a file sending function, an image communication function, a camera function, and others. Additionally, portable communication terminals can also play the role of a personal secretary that manages telephone numbers and personal schedules, etc.
In consideration of its portability, design of such a portable terminal has tended toward compactness, slimness and lightness. Design of portable terminals has also tended toward providing multimedia capabilities to allow the user to pursue a wider variety of functions, such as viewing entertainment contents, as an important function of the portable communication terminal. In the future, it is expected that portable communication terminals will tend to be complicated devices having multi-functions including image communication, games, Internet access, a camera, as well as simple voice communication.
Conventional portable terminals may be classified into various types according to their portability or convenience of use. Two such classifications, relating to a portable terminal's physical arrangement, are bar-type portable terminals and folder-type portable terminals. The bar-type portable communication terminal has a single housing shaped like a bar, on which an input/output unit, an antenna unit, a transmitter/receiver, etc. are mounted. The folder-type portable terminal has a folder connected to a bar-type single housing by means of a hinge device in such a manner that the folder can be rotated to fold on or unfold from the housing.
Further, portable communication terminals may be classified into a swing-type communication terminal or a sliding-type communication terminal according to the manner in which the terminal is opened and closed. In the swing-type communication terminal, two housings are coupled to each other in a manner that one housing swings to open or close the other while the housings are facing each other. In the sliding-type communication terminal, two housings are coupled to each other in a manner that one housing slides to open or close the other.
For example, the sliding-type portable communication terminal has a structure in that a body housing is coupled to a sliding housing by means of a sliding device while the housings face each other.
A sliding device adapted for a conventional sliding-type portable communication terminal is disclosed in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-393949, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The sliding device disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-393949 has difficulty in that it cannot be made as thin as desired. Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is difficult to manufacture a slim sliding-type portable communication terminal.
Another sliding device adapted to a conventional sliding-type portable communication terminal is disclosed in detail in Korean Patent Application No. 2005-19808, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
However, the sliding device disclosed in the Korean Patent Application No. 2005-19808 also has difficulty in being made thin, and it also has a disadvantage of requiring many parts and thus a greater number of assembling steps.